Official Trailer
Rating: 0/10 | Genre: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Starring: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o
I went into The Odyssey expecting a fun romp through Greek mythology with a star-studded cast. What I got was something that felt half-finished and way too long for what it’s actually trying to say.
Matt Damon plays Odysseus, and he’s fine. He does the tired warrior thing well enough. But the movie doesn’t really know what to do with him for most of the runtime. He spends huge chunks just wandering around looking concerned while things happen to him rather than him actually doing anything. Tom Holland shows up as a younger version of Odysseus in flashbacks, which is a weird creative choice that doesn’t pay off. Anne Hathaway is Penelope back home, and she’s genuinely good in a thankless role where she basically just waits around for two and a half hours.
Where Things Fall Apart
The pacing is absolutely brutal. There’s this sequence with the Cyclops that takes forever and doesn’t actually have much tension. Then we get the siren scene, and I was hoping it would be creepy or unsettling. Instead it’s just kind of there. The monsters look decent enough, but they’re on screen for like five minutes each before Odysseus either fights them or tricks them and moves on. Nothing sticks.
The worst part is the editing. Scenes cut off before they actually end. Character moments feel incomplete. I’m not sure if this was studio interference or what, but it’s obvious something went wrong in post-production. There’s a scene where Robert Pattinson, who plays some sea god, just vanishes from the movie halfway through with zero explanation. One minute he’s a major force in the story, the next he’s gone.
Lupita Nyong’o is wasted as Circe. She deserved so much more than what she was given. Her interactions with Odysseus have potential but go nowhere. The movie hints at real conflict between them and then just abandons it.
The Good Stuff, Sort Of
The score is pretty solid. It’s got that epic orchestral thing going on without being annoying. Some of the set design looks really nice, especially Ithaca when we finally get there near the end. There’s one shot of a ship being tossed in a storm that actually looked cool.
The action sequences are competent. Nothing special, but they work. There’s a sword fight that’s genuinely well choreographed. If the whole movie had that energy it would’ve been better.
I wanted to like this. The cast is great, the source material is legendary, and there’s real money on the screen. But The Odyssey feels like it was made by people who didn’t know how to tell this story in a way that actually grabs you. It’s a slog to sit through, and by the time Odysseus finally makes it home, you’re just relieved it’s over.
Did you catch this one when it came out, or are you thinking about watching it? Let me know if you had a better experience with it than I did.
Where to Watch
Buy on: Fandango At Home